Brace for fence-posts.



.B. B. ELY & c. FLAUGH, JR-

BRAGE FOR FENCE POSTS.

AFN-NATION nun MAR. 19, 1909.

I Patented Sept. 21, 909.

zwizqy afdaaghgdit Witnesses are a T @l i llt BENJAIHIN B. ELY AND CHRISTIAN FLAUGH, JR, OF LEON'IPELIER, INDIANA.

BRACE FOR FENCE-POSTS.

Application filed March 19, 1909.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that we, BENJAMIN B. ELY and CHRISTIAN FLAUGH, J12, citizens of the United States, residing at Montpelier, in the county of Blackford and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Braces for Fence-Posts, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to braces for fence posts, scaffolding, uprights, and other like elements of building structures and particularly to a brace which is so connected to the lower end of the post or upright which it assists in supporting that it may be tightened or tensioned into a bracing position to any degree required.

For a full understanding of the invention and the merits thereof, and to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of our improved brace applied to a post, a portion of the brace being shown in section. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary face view of the upper end of the brace shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation showing a modified form of the end of the brace.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and inclicated in all the views of the drawing by the same reference characters.

Referring to the drawings, 2 designates a post of any character, such as a fence post, a portion of a scaffolding, etc., and 8 designates a brace. This brace may be of any desired material, but preferably is of metal and may be, in the latter case, tubular or angular or have any other desired cross section. The upper end of the brace 3 may be cut off at right angles with the longer aXis of the brace as shown in Fig. 1, or the end may be cut off at an angle to the aXis so as to fit against the side of the fence post it is to sup port. Preferably, however, the post 2 is cut away as at i to receive the upper end of the brace. end of the brace be held in rigid connection with the post so as to prevent any sliding movement of the brace thereon. In addition to notching the post 2 or otherwise forming to prevent any movement of the brace 3, we may form the upper end of the brace 3 with an upturned portion 5 adapted to rest against the post 2 and to be held thereto by clamps 6 of any desired charac- Specification of Letters Patent.

It is merely sufficient that the upper Patented Sept. 21, 1909.

Serial No. 484,448.

ter. This upturned portion 5 might also be held to the post by a transverse bolt, if desired. at 7 so as to extend parallel with the ground and passing through the bent lower end of the brace is the eyebolt S, the screw threaded end of which passes through a washer 9 which abuts against the extremity of the brace 3. Engaged with the screw threaded end is a nut 10. Preferably, the washer 9 is mounted upon a base plate 11 or formed with said base plate so that the base plate forms a sliding rest. It is not, however, necessary that the washer 9 be made to slide with the base plate as the lower end of the base may simply rest upon the base plate 11. The in ner end of the eyebolt 8 is connected to a loop of wire 12 which passes around the lower end of the post 2. WVhile we have referred to wire as being the material of which this loop 12 is formed, we do not wish to be limited to this as it is obvious that we might use other material for this purpose. In some instances, it is best to reverse the tension members 8 and 12. To this end, we form the lower end of the brace 3 with a transverse notch 13 around which the loop 12 may pass, the eyebolt 8 passing through the post 2.

The operation of my invention is evident from the above. After the brace is in position and connected by the loop 12 to the lower end of the post, the nut 10 is turned,

thus drawing upon the tension members 8 and 12 drawing the lower end of the brace toward the lower end of the post until the desired tension is secured. It will be seen that this construction provides a brace of very simple character easily applied, whose lower end cannot spread away from the post 2 but is held in unitary engagement therewith. WVe design our brace not only to be used on temporary constructions but in positions of permanency.

. While we have shown what we believe to be the preferable form of our device, we do not wish to be limited to the details above illustrated, as it is obvious that slight changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new, is:

1. A brace of the character described, having an upper end adapted to engage a post, the lower portion of said brace being turned at an angle to the upper portion thereof so as The lower end of the brace is bent as to lie at right angles to the post, said lower portion having a passage extending longitudinally through it, and the lower end of said brace being transversely notched, a support on which the lower end of the brace rests, and an eye bolt adapted to pass through the passage in the brace or an aperture in the post, said bolt having a nut at one end and being provided with a loop at the other, adapted to engage with the lower end of the post or with the notch in the brace.

2. A brace of the character described, having its upper end provided with means for engagement with the post, the lower end of the brace being outwardly bent at such an angle to the upper portion that it will be at right angles to the post when the brace is in position, said lower portion of the brace having a passage extending longitudinally thereof, and the lower end of the brace being transversely notched, an eye bolt adapted to pass longitudinally through the bent lower end of the brace or through the post, a base plate having an upwardly extending flange fitting against the end of the bent portion of the brace, through which flange the eye bolt is adapted to pass when in oneposition, a nut on the end of the eye bolt, and a loop connected to the other end of the eye bolt, adapted in one position of that bolt to pass around said post, and in the other position to pass around the bent end of the brace and be lodged in said notch. i

In testimony whereol we atfiX our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

BENJAi nN B. ELY. [L.s. CHRISTIAN FLAUGH, JR. a 5.

Witnesses JAS. BRENNAN, JOHN FLAUGH. 

